Calling hallucinogenic mushrooms a ‘gift from God' certainly a novel defense

[Sequoia]

http://cmsimg.citizen-times.com//apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=B0&Date=20090427&Category=COLUMNISTS09&ArtNo=904270307&Ref=AR&MaxW=318&Border=0

Ingram, 32, strongly believes that God gave us marijuana and mushrooms and that these “gifts” should be celebrated, not used as a cause to arrest folks. As he was arrested for possession of mushrooms in December, he hopes to plead this defense to a jury.

“The point I'm trying to make is that God's law is higher than man's law,” Ingram told me. He was out protesting downtown last week, carrying a sign that said “Mushrooms & marijuana come from God.”

A little background: Ingram had planned to attend the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam on Dec. 13 and was sitting in his car near downtown, sipping on a cold beer out of a coffee mug and sampling a hallucinogenic mushroom or two.

“I had the bag open, and I put one in between my lip and my teeth — I put it in sort of as a dip, because you really don't need that much,” Ingram said. “I looked over, and I had blue lights on me.”

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009904270307

[Mz Pip]

1. How about adding

"it works" to the defense, too?

[tridim]

2. Replace "god" with "nature" and I'm on board.

[paulsby]

6. it's silly

i'm AGAINST the war on drugs, but the "it's natural so it's ok" is a silly defense.

arsenic is natural.

so is cyanide.

heck, many of our natural drives are perfectly natural. doesn't mean i can do whatever i want just because it's "natural".

again, i am against criminalizing drugs. but this is a silly defense and has been tried before

[tridim]

8. Cannabis is non-toxic

Shrooms aren't, but they're pretty mild.

[paulsby]

9. i know

but it's still not a defense.

[NightWatcher]

3. some tribes are allowed to possess certain types and amounts for religious ceremonies

First off, you should not be popping shrooms anywhere near a car.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. You never read Carlos Castaneda?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Castaneda

[Warren DeMontague]

5. How about "It's my fucking body and nervous system, and what in the hell makes the government think

it can tell me otherwise?"

How's that for a novel defense?

[RadiationTherapy]

11. Freedom is an occassional opportunity; a privelege at best.

I wish it were otherwise.

[w4rma]

7. He wasn't sitting in the drivers seat, I hope. (nt)

[conscious evolution]

10. They are part of my spiritual beliefs also

Live music and shrooms are church for me and many others I know.Its how I and millions of people around the world commune with the gods and goddess's.It sucks that a nation that supposedly has freedom of religion persecutes people for practicing their religion.